Children's Home run by Amicus Residential Care Ltd in Reading

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people are having a great experience residing in the home while being provided with a family atmosphere.  The young people speak highly about the staff and the relationships they have formed with them.  The staff team has been consistent for a considerable number of years, and the majority of team members are qualified.  Activities undertaken by the young people are purposeful, allowing them to develop confidence and maintain relationships within the community.  There is a robust response by staff when young people go missing.  The staff manage the behaviour of the young people extremely well, resulting in a very low number of physical interventions.  All young people feel very safe while residing in the home.  Safeguarding incidents relating to the young people are promptly reported and acted upon by the staff.  Professionals, parents and young people praise the management for having a great understanding of the young people.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The staff feel valued and this has resulted in young people receiving good quality care.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI (Regulation 16(2)). 10/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which are kept up to date. This is in relation to historical information for risk assessments and planning of care. 10/08/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The home’s policies and procedures around the protection of children should reflect the requirements of all relevant legislation, and include guidance on friends of young people visiting the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.22)

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately run and provides emergency as well as long-term placements for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

07/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

28/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

The young people live in a home where they feel safe and enjoy respectful relationships with the staff and with each other. The majority of them are new to the home and are in the initial stages of making progress.

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Good

The young people made positive comments about the staff and identify staff team members in whom they can confide. The young people feel that their views are taken seriously and are acted upon when appropriate. They talk about their experiences in the home and feel they are part of a family. A young person who has experienced several placement moves said, ‘Of all the places I have been this is the first place where staff genuinely care.’

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Good

The staff are a small team that is very experienced with young people in care, and show a confidence in engaging with them. The staff understand the importance of establishing relationships with young people that allow them to speak openly about their cares and concerns. A placing social worker said, ‘I was impressed with the level of knowledge the staff had regarding X’s background and circumstances.’

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Good

The young people have a clear understanding of their rights in relation to their care. They all expressed the view that they know how to complain and understood what was expected of them and the staff. Those young people with independent advocates benefit from having the staff engaging with the advocates for the duration of their placement.

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Good

The young people are encouraged and supported to ensure that their health needs are met, including scheduling and attending appointments. Even when young people refuse to attend certain health appointments, the staff discuss their importance and purpose with the young person, usually resulting in their eventual attendance.

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Good

The recommendation made previously, pertaining to suitable arrangements for managing and administering any medication, has been met.

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Good

Some young people aspire to attend college. Some young people are not in full- time education and receive alternative forms of learning, as the staff are proactive in securing services to ensure that young people are not missing out on education.

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Good

During the inspection, young people were observed engaging in purposeful activities such as swimming and interacting with friends from the community in the home. A planned day out with the staff was very successful according to the young people.

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Good

There is excellent communication with family members and contact, when appropriate, is supported. The parent of a young person praised the staff for their communication, support and ability to look after her child. ‘They have kept X safer than I ever could and I feel part of every decision they make regarding her care, even sanctions.’

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Good

The young people live in a safe environment and stated that they all feel safe while living in the home. The staff take the necessary actions to monitor and ensure the safety and well-being of the young people. They regularly engage with the social worker and parents to ensure that everyone is kept up to date on any issues that may negatively affect the young people.

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Good

Missing from care is a chronic problem for some young people in the home, based upon their history of absconding from numerous placements. There is a robust response when young people do go missing from the home. A reviewing officer spoke about the extreme efforts that the staff undertook to keep a young person safe. ‘I do not know what else they could have done to try to keep X from absconding.’

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Good

Any safeguarding concern pertaining to the young people is passed promptly to the designated officer for consultation. One significant incident has occurred since the last inspection that resulted in this action. All safeguarding training for staff is up to date, including child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. Any concern around internet access and social media for the young people that is seen to be unsafe is addressed by an effective monitoring system.

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Good

Records indicate that only three physical interventions have occurred since the last full inspection. This evidences that staff use physical intervention as a last resort to keep all young people safe. The staff use their effective relationships and their behaviour management training to help the young people understand their triggers for inappropriate behaviours. This early intervention helps de-escalate behaviourally challenging situations

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Good

It was evidenced that the staff have a very good relationship with the police and only utilise their services as a last resort. A community officer occasionally stops by the home and meets the young people, while sharing information with the staff.

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Good

The physical environment for the young people is very safe and free from all risks, except a banister rail that needs proper fixing to the stair wall. All health and safety checks are undertaken and completed immediately.

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Good

The risks associated with the young people are taken into account in relation to planning for them and allowing them opportunities. Plans are in place to manage and reduce the risks that young people may experience. Appropriate action is taken when a risk becomes concerning or increases. Updated information on a historical allegation against a young person had not been updated in their files, despite this information being known to the staff. This oversight did not have an adverse impact on the young people.

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Good

As the staff allow friends of the young people to frequently visit the home, the staff should endeavour to obtain key information about them and ensure that appropriate supervision takes place. The process and protocol regarding visitors to the home, and expectations of their behaviour, need to be incorporated into the child protection policy of the home.

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Good

The leadership and management team of the home is stable and experienced. The registered manager has the knowledge and ability to lead effectively, while prioritising the needs of the young people. The young people, the staff and professionals speak about her with high regard. Young people who have previously resided in the home routinely stop by and talk with staff about their lives.

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Good

The manager has been in post since the inception of the service, and in addition she has maintained the role of responsible individual. This provides the home with consistent management with a great understanding and overview of how the home functions.

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Good

The manager ensures that care plans are in place for all the young people. When young people are not making progress, the manager reviews the placement and offers alternatives. The manager effectively challenges all decisions that are not deemed to be in the best interests of the young person.

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Good

The collective efforts of the manager and the independent visitor, through their monthly and annual reporting, identify strengths and weaknesses of the home, resulting in effective action plans. The requirements and recommendations from the last inspection have been met.

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Good

There has been a substantial effort made by management to establish and maintain quality relationships with professionals. Positive and effective relationships have been established with placing social workers, youth offending services and numerous other professionals.

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Good

The staff feel valued and supported, which has a positive impact on the young people. Staff supervision is held consistently and usually allows them to reflect on their practice and demonstrate their understanding of the young people.

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Good

Training, team meetings and away-days contribute to staff development. The majority of the staff have the appropriate qualifications to work in the children’s home, with a low percentage of staff currently undertaking the course.

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Good

The statement of purpose was updated three months ago and the manager acknowledged that a copy had not been provided to Ofsted as per regulations. A requirement has been made to fulfil this.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children’s home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children’s home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children’s home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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